Toy sub-machine gun



July 19, 1955 s; ABAGOFF TOY SUB-MACHINE GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 20, 1952 ON C INvENoR. SEQGE ABGOFF m .Naw lq w Nm mw www.

m Wm m .ILL M\ l l uhm NN le ou 90.00 QN NN. r N Se, wwwfww mmfmw ow\ www www kw www. N

Q1 M .E 1... w/ Smm Nm JNM, \w`m, AWM mm J LL H om Q- u Nlrr vw 10m Pgs.: vw iww WX, mmm. NN :a o NN .@OAN @NNN QN MN OW YOW @Ni RWC @QN BY fau.

AGENT July 19, 1955 s. ABAGOFF TOY SUB-MACHINE GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 20, 1952 mw NO EG T VA m8 m A G VL A PU. Q d. Sn

nited States Patent TOY SUB-MACHINE GUN Serge Abagot, Burbank, Calif.

Application September 20, 1952, Serial No. 310,672

1 Claim. (Cl. 124-27) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to toy guns and, more particularly, to an improved toy gun of the repeater or sub-machine gun type, of exceedingly simple, cheap, fool-proof construction, and which is adapted to controllably, sequentially shoot one or more projectiles, such as ping pong balls or the like, for example, with considerable force and accuracy.

I am aware of the fact that a considerable number of prior art toy guns intended to shoot one or more projectiles, such as ping pong balls or the like, have been invented and developed heretofore. However, all of such guns known to me, have been of relatively complex and/or costly construction and are usually prone to become inoperative after a short period of use. Furthermore, there have been very few such prior art guns which are capable of operating as a repeater or sub-machine gun type of multiple firing gun, and in those few cases where they have been capable of such use, they have usually been of a costly pneumatic type or of an exceedingly complex mechanical type. Therefore, such devices have never been commercially successful.

In most prior art toy guns, the trigger operated means adapted to cock the gun into tiring position, usually consisted of some sort of lip, shoulder, catch or pawl means, temporarily cooperating with similar means and usually arranged for sliding engagement and disengagement with respect thereto. Usually the contact arm of such cooperative means was relatively small and wear rapidly rendered the gun inoperable by making proper engagement of said cooperative means impossible. Another disadvantage of such prior art toy guns was that they were dicult and, therefore, usually costly to assemble.

Generally speaking, the present invention consists of a hollow longitudinal barrel having longitudinally movable means positioned therein for longitudinal movement with respect thereto. biasing means normally biasing said longitudinally movable means into a forward projectile striking position. Said longitudinally movable means carries lip means in effective association therewith. Also included is lip engaging means arranged for cooperation with the lip means. Also included is trigger means eiectively connected to the lip engaging means and slidably positioned for convenient digital access from the exterior of the gun. Also included is a second resilient biasing means normally effectively biasing the trigger means and the lip engaging means into a forward extremum position within the barrel. Also included is means (preferably, through not necessarily, cam means) arranged to effectively disengage the lip engaging means from the lip means 1n response to rearward movement of the lip engaging means and the trigger means beyond a predetermind point, whereby the longitudinally moveable means will be released and forcibly impelled forwardly by the rst resilient biasing means and will strike a projectile carried in and adjacent to the forward end of the barrel and will forcibly catapult the projectile therefrom, and whereby upon manual release of the rearwardly positioned trigger means Also included is a rst resilient 2,713,338 Patented July 19, 1955 rice the lip engaging means and the trigger means will be forcibly impelled forwardly by the Vsecond resilient biasing means and said lip engaging means will be moved into engagement with the lip means ready for a subsequent rearward actuation thereof.

A preferred general form of the present invention also includes hollow magazine means adapted to carry a plurality of projectiles therein and port means communicating the magazine means and the interior of the barrel means at a predetermined striking position in front of the unred longitudinally movable means. This form of the present invention may also include resilient means 'in the hollow magazine means for biasing the plurailty of projectiles toward the port means.

From the above general description of the basic form and one preferred generic form of the present invention,

it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that vir- 2 tually all of the hereinabove mentioned disadvantages of prior art toy gun constructions are virtually entirely eliminated and overcome in and through the use of the present invention.

For example, it is apparent that the gun of the present invention is of exceedingly simple, cheap, fool-proof construction and will operate for a long period of time without getting out of order.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy gun, which may take the form of a repeater or submachine gun or a single shot gun, and which is adapted to catapult one or more projectiles (such as ping pong balls or the like) in a controllable and accurate manner.

Other and allied objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claim.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow described drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational View of the left half of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention as seen from the center thereof, and shows the gun in the position its trigger mechanism assumes just prior to tiring.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, similar in aspect to Fig. l, but showing the trigger mechanism in the position it assumes afterfring a projectile and before again retracting the trigger for ring a subsequent shot.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the fully assembled gun illustrated n Figs. l and 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows lV--IV in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View taken in the direction of the arrows V-V in Fig. 2.

Generally speaking, the present invention includes a hollow longitudinal barrel (preferably, though not necessarily, provided with suitable handle and/or stock means).

In the specific example illustrated, the hollow longitudinal barrel is indicated generally at 1 and is effectively tixedly fastened in operative position with respect to handle means indicated generally at 2 and comprising a pistol grip 3, a shoulder engageable stock 4 and a manually graspable aiming and support member 5. In the specific example illustrated, the barrel 1 is provided with front sight means 6 and rear sight means 7 to facilitate aiming the gun. in the specific example illustrated, the barrel l is provided with a hollow longitudinal interior chamber 8 having a closed rear end 9 and an open front end Also generally speaking, the hollow longitudinal barrel of the present invention carries therein a longitudinally movable means slidably mounted for relative longitudinal movement with respect thereto.

In the specific example illustrated, the longitudinal movin .a memberlfi .positionedacross the hollowcharnber 8 .a

andtlxedwithlrespect tothe .barrelv 1, andthat another portion' of`v thelplunger-(thehead 11)` is in slidingengagement-with respect to the larger. concentric, aligned aperture defined by the walls l5 of the barrel 1, whereby to 'effectivelyv position and guide thedirection of movelo ment Vof the plungerstriking-head `1l.

Also generallyspeaking, a rst resilientbiasing means is arrangedifto vnormally bias the longitudinally movable. means` into Aa forward projectile striking position.

ln theV specific example illustrated, this first-*resilient l-'w biasingmeans comprises a rst coil compression spring-- 16 -.axially. carried by the plunger shaft l2 between -a shoulder 17 at the rear side-ofgtrhe-plunger head il and theiixed portion Mcarriedby therbarrel i. The arrangement is such that-the plunger head 11 is biased toward the rightasviewed in Fig. l and Fig. 2 and, in absence I of yconstraintftends to assume the position shown .in Fig. 2.

Also generally speaking, lip means is operatively connected to the longitudinally movable means and Vis ar- L ranged for cooperationV with respect to slidable lip engaging means effectively connected to slidable trigger means.

ln the specific example illustrated, the lip means is indicated at 1S, carried at the rear end of the plunger shaft 12. Y In the specific example illustrated, the lip engaging means comprisesa tooth 19 carried bythe right end of a slidably-mounted connecting rod'Z, the other, end of which is provided with a downwardly directed portion 20A, which is provided with a rearwardly directed por.- tion 20B iixedly fastened to a trigger connectingrlink portion 21A, which is connected to a trigger 21B. lt will be noted that the trigger 21B and the connecting vrod V2i)l carrying the lip engaging means 19 are slidably moveable portion 20A thereon and an apertured projecting portion 27 ixedly carried within thebarrel l. This arranges,... ment also comprises means for slidably mounting the movable trigger assembly and lip engaging means. The arrangement is such that the lip'engaging means 19 is normally biased into a forward or right hand extremum position as shown in Fig. 2 whereby, following the disengagement of the lip engagingA means 19 and the lip means 18 after movement of the trigger 21B into a position slightly more to the left than shown in Fig. l, the trigger 21B can bereleasedand allowed to move forwardly under the action of the second coil compression spring25 into the position shown in Fig. 2, wherethe lip engaging means 19 .will re-engage the lip means 18 and place the device in condition for subsequent rearward actuation of the trigger 21B, the connecting rod 20, the lip engaging means i9, the lip means lil, the plunger shaft 12, and the plunger head 11 into a position immediately with respect to the barrel 1 whereby rearwardmove- 40 ment of the trigger ZlB into Ythe position shown inFi'g. l will gcause the lip means i5 engaged by the` lip engaging means 19 to be moved rearwardly (or toward the leftas viewed in Fig. l)gand will thus correspondingly move the plunger head i rearwardly (or toward theY leftas i viewed in Fig. l) against the action of the rst biasing springl 16.

isoincluded is means for effectively discngaging the lip engaging means with respect to the lip means in rej Y sponse'to rearward movement of the lip engaging means and the trigger means beyond a certain point.

in the specific example illustrated, this takes the form of cam means comprising a member 22 fixed with respect to the interior of thebarrel. and an inclined surface 23carried by the underside of the right hand end of the connecting rod 2i). rihe arrangement is such that when the trigger 21B is moved into the rearward or left-y ward position lshown in Fig. l, a slight additional movement will cause engagement of the members 22 and 23 and` will effectively disengage the lip engaging means 19 "l" from the lip means l3,;thus allowing the first biasing spring i6 toforcibly move the lip means 18, the plunger shaft l2-k and the plunger headv l1 forwardly or toward theright, as viewed in Fig. l, whereby it will strike a A projectile y24` in a striking position in a forward portion ofthe barrel ,l and it will forcibly catapult said projectile therefrom.A

Also generally speaking, the present invention includes a second resilient biasing means normally effectively biasing the trigger means and the lip engaging means into a forward extremum position within the barrel.

In' the specific example illustrated, said secondA resilient biasing means comprises a second coil compression spring25 axially carried by a rearwardly extended poroperation `of the magazine Y2?.

Tra

tion 26 of the connectingl -rod Ztlbetween the shoulder T5 before tiring takes place, such asrshown lin Fig. l.

Also generally speaking, the. present inventionmay.V includev hollow magazine means adapted to carry a plu-` rality1of projectilesy therein and provided .with port means communicating the ymagazine meansA and the interior of the barrelmeans ata predetermined striking position .in front of the unred longitudinally movable means.. This .may alsov be provided vwith.resilient biasing means effec.-

tively biasing the plurality of'proiectiles toward` the portr means.

In the specific4 example illustrated, the hollow maga-.. Zine means is of longitudinal tubularform and is posie. tionedirnmediately under the barrelmeans, as, indicated generally at 23,- and is provided with aclosed rear. end. 29 and a laterally ported front end 3h ,communicating with the interior of thebarrel 1 at a predetermined strilzfl ing position.Vv inV the spec ificy example illustrated, the' tubular magazine 23 is adapted to carry a plurality of spherical projectiles, such as are indicated atl31, positionedahead` of a slide, member 32, the rear of which abuts a coil compression spring/33, which `comprises the.V above mentioned, resilient biasing means. The arrange-V mentis suchV that`v the springl33 effectively forwardly impels ,the slide member 32, which correspondingly for. wardly impels the plurality of proiectiles 31 so as to force Y the. endrprojectile into a predetermined striking position inthe ibarrel 1 when the plunger head l1 is out of alignment-.fwithfaespect to the port means 3i), as shown in l Fig. l. It should also be noted that the magazine ,2Sr is .provided `with a slidably movable cover siadapted` for'manualdsliding-movement to openand close loading Y port 34A tofacilitate the Vgun reloading operation.v It

should also'be noted `that the trigger linkage member 21A is of semi-annular'form andcxtends around ap; proximately halfv of the exterior periphery of thewall. ofthe magazine 28.*' This arrangement provides effectiveV linkage between the trigger actuatingv portion Y21B and.

the rear portion ZilB of the connecting rod.20 (throughvv slot means) without in anyV wayinterfering with theM Also generally speaking, projectile positioning means maybe positioned in the barrel at a predetermined striking l positionrand varranged to effectively receive from thel portmeansa projectile to be tired, and .to temporarily position said projectile in said `striking positionuntil it is forcibly catapulted therefrom by the impact of the red longitudinally movable means.

Y ln, thej specic example illustrated, the projectile po-Y Sitioninggneans comprises resilient means indicatedy genf. erallyv at 35 insertable into and engageable with respect to the interior of the end of the barrel. and provided with. spaced projections,35A` and 35B positioned-,soos to ber effectively capable of positioning cooperation with respect-1 to .the..top.of a projectile 24, as best shown, in,Fig..1.

. It should be noted that the majorportionsof the gun, are constructed of. two molded plastic half sections.,YV adapted to be joined together in a generally: .verticalf E plane or plurality of such planes, and that the various internal moving parts may, therefore, be easily and conveniently assembled in operating position within the gun, thus making it possible to produce a gun of cheap simple construction.

Numerous modications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such properly within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended as fully as if specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein. For example, it should be noted that while the preferred form of the present invention contemplates that the iixed portions of the invention will be made of molded plastic construction and the biasing means and/or the projectile positioning means may be made of metallic construction, the present invention is not limited to this arrangement but may be made in other suitable forms and of other suitable materials.

it should also be noted that while I have described the projectiles to be tired in the gun of the present invention as of a type similar to ping pong balls, the invention is not so limited. Various other types of projectites may be tired. It should also be noted that the gun of the present invention is not limited to a multiple firing arrangement of a repeater or machine gun type but may comprise any type of gun, whether multiple firing or single tiring. In the event that it is single firing, the magazine may be eliminated.

In certain forms of the present invention the projectile positioning means may be modified substantially or may be eliminated entirely. This is also true of the slidable member carried in the magazine means. The exact construction of the two biasing means, lip engaging means, lip means, cam releasing means, and associated components may be modiied considerably within the spirit hereof. The magazine means may be modified substantially.

The exact constructions, configurations, compositions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical and can be modied substantially within the spirit and the basic teachings hereof.

The embodiments of the present invention specically described, illustrated and claimed herein are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claim only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

i claim:

An improved toy sub-machine gun adapted to controilably sequentially catapult a plurality of projectiles therefrom, comprising: a hollow longitudinal barrel; a longitudinally movable plunger within the barrel slidably mounted for longitudinal movement with respect thereto, said plunger being provided with guiding portions in sliding engagement with longitudinally concentrically aligned apertures at opposite ends of a seiected forward region of the barrel which position and guide the direction of movement of the plunger, said plunger being provided with a shoulder, a first resilient biasing coil compression spring means axially carried by the plunger between said shoulder and the rear end of said forward region of the barrel and adapted to normally bias the plunger into a forward projectile striking position; lip means carried by the rear of the plunger; handle means depending from the barrel adjacent the rear thereof; lip engaging means arranged for cooperation with the lip means; trigger means effectively connected to the lip engaging means and positioned in front of the handle means for convenient digital access from the exterior of the gun; means slidably mounting said lip engaging means and said trigger means for relative longitudinal movement with respect to the barrel; a second resilient biasing means normally effectively biasing said trigger means and said lip engaging means into a forward extreme position within the barrel; means eifectively cooperable with respect to the lip engaging means to effectively disengage said lip engaging means from the lip means in response to rearward movement of the lip engaging means and the trigger means beyond a predetermined point, whereby the plunger will be released and forcibly impelled forwardly by the iirst resilient coil compression spring means and will strike a projectile carried in and adjacent to the forward end of the barrel and will forcibly catapult the projectile therefrom, and whereby upon manual release of the rearwardly positioned trigger means, the lip engaging means and the trigger means will be forcibly impelled forwardly by the second resilient biasing means and said lip engaging means will be moved into engagement with the lip means ready for a subsequent rearward actuation thereof for re-cocking the gun; said lip engaging means including tooth means carried by the front end of a slidably mounted longitudinal rearwardly directed connecting rod, which is provided adjacent its rear end with the downwardly directed slidably mounted trigger means positioned immediately in front of the handle means, the rear end of said connecting rod being also provided with a shoulder and a rearwardly extended portion slidably cooperable with respect to a fixed projection carried within the rear portion of the barrel means; said second resilient biasing means comprising a second coil compression spring axially carried by the rearwardly extended portion of the connecting rod between the shoulder thereon and the projecting portion of the barrel, whereby said lip engaging means is normally biased into a forward extreme position; said means adapted to eiectively disengage the lip engaging means from the lip means including cam means arranged to vertically move the tooth means out of engagement with respect to the lip means at a predetermined point in the path of rearward travel of said lip engaging means, allowing the rst coil compression spring to forcibly return the plunger to its normal forward position; and hollow longitudinal tubular magazine means adapted to carry a plurality of projectiles therein positioned immediately under the barrel means and provided with port means adjacent the forward end of said magazine means communicating the upper forward end of the hollow magazine means with the interior of the barrel means at a predetermined striking position in front of the plunger; said downwardly directed trigger means including an arcuate portion closely slidably partially encircling the exterior of the hollow tubular magazine and a lower downwardly directed nger-engageable portion positioned immediately in front of the handle means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 85,638 Buckman Jan. 5, 1869 253,628 Rich Feb. 14, 1882 1,289,622 Blackshear Dec. 31, 1918 1,547,834 Smookler July 28, 1925 2,631,578 Laughlin Mar. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,957 Austria Apr. 25, 1906 285,217 Germany June 24, 1915 

